Self-absorption

Someone who is self-absorbed is concerned only with themselves, their own feelings or circumstances. Self-absorption is a common trait present in most people though the level of self-absorption in them varies. People are self-absorbed not because they want to; they usually have no knowledge or perception of their self-absorbing habit.

When people are completely self-absorbed, they are most of the time unlikely to know they are being addressed by other people; they are not consciously aware of other people's movements or what is happening around them. They may even be oblivious of any danger that may arise.

It’s easy to be drawn towards a person who is friendly and likeable, or someone who is perceived as not taking themselves too seriously. A self-absorbing person, on the hand, tends to put other people off. He or she displays no interest in others and lacks the ability to understand and share others’ feelings.

People who feel hopeless and helpless because of an obsession with a personal problem or suffering from an illness are most vulnerable. They fall easily into a state of self-absorption. Here is where relatives and friends could help with creative ways to lift them out of their self-absorbed state.

It helps to mitigate excessive interest in oneself by perhaps engaging oneself in a lot of voluntary work or just focusing on others.